Govt claims ID cards 'make lives easier'
Mon 10 Mar 2008
07/03/2008
 |
The government has claimed ID cards would make workers' lives easier and people would enrol voluntarily. Home secretary Jacqui Smith said that most Brits will have a card by 2009 and pledged to cut the cost of the controversial scheme. "One of the strengths of this choice is that now people will be able to get a card when they want, rather than wait until they renew their passport," she said. However, some workers will have to carry a card because of the nature of their work – biometric scanning is already in place for construction workers at the Olympic Park in London. Ms Smith added: "When we publish our next cost report in May I expect to see almost £1 billion removed from the headline costs." Foreign nationals will have to carry cards from November and within three years, all foreign applicants will have to carry the new ID. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation said there is an "increasing onus being placed on employers and recruiters to carry out the right checks" and explained it was keen to work with the government.
related articles
